~*~*~

Part: 1

Cordelia looked up at the clock on the wall, wondering what could be keeping the others at the hospital so late. She understood that the doctors would want to make sure Willow was fit before going home…but this was ridiculous. It was totally in opposition with all those things she had heard on daytime television about mothers leaving within hours of giving birth.

Not to mention the fact that Willow would be just fine – her bond with Angel and Spike guaranteed that.

The former cheerleader's eyes drifted to the red haired child coloring diligently at the table. Mina had talked for hours on end after they had gotten back from the hospital that morning – about playing with her brothers, teaching them things and giving them some of the special cookies her mom always brought home from the grocery store. Cordelia hadn't had the heart to point out to her that the babies were…well…just that – babies. It was obvious that the kindergartener had a notion of what her brothers were going to be like…and it just wasn't her place to disillusion her.

`Though Wills and the guys are going to have a tantrum on their hands before too long, I'm sure.' She smirked, flipping the page in her magazine. She tried not to think about the time and the date she had with Gunn later that night. Xander and Graham had said they would come over if it got to be too late. No need to stress over it now.

"Do you like it, Auntie Delia?" Mina asked, holding up the picture she was coloring. Cordelia smiled, the picture from the Scooby Doo coloring book bringing back memories, both pleasant and not-so-pleasant, of her high school years.

"It's beautiful, Mina," The young woman grinned. "But you need to finish coloring Scooby." She pointed to a spot on the page where the whiteness of the coloring book paper still showed through.

"Oh!" With only the seriousness that a five year old could attain, Mina turned back to her crayons, searching for the color she had previously used for coloring the animated talking dog. She looked up from her coloring when the door to the apartment opened, slowly, the sound of adult voices drifting into the quiet apartment. She smiled, jumping up and running to greet the people entering. Behind her Cordelia put down her magazine, relieved to be free of her babysitting duties at last. "Mommy! Daddy-Sire! Daddy-Spike!" Her red locks bounced as she hopped up and down with excitement.

"Shh, darling," Willow whispered. "You don't want to wake David and Alex." She patted her daughter on the head, a little more tired than she normally would be so early in the evening. Her green eyes strayed to the carriers, one being held by her dark haired mate and the other by her blond haired one, the smile never leaving her lips.

"Sorries, mommy," Mina whispered. "Let me see?" She gestured, ever the little Princess, for her daddies to lower the carriers so that she could look at her new brothers. The sight of their tiny, still pink-ish bodies brought a frown to her perfect face. "They're still so small…"

Spike laughed. "Strawberries, they're gonna be small for a while, ya know." He grinned at his adopted daughter, reaching out to ruffle her hair playfully. The whole time he was cautious not to jostle the carrier in any way – lest he wake David and bring down the wrath of his mate upon him.

"Oh." Mina wrinkled her nose. This wasn't how she thought things were going to be. David and Alex were supposed to be her playmates. How could they play with her if they were going to be small for a `while'? Her mind couldn't quite grasp how long it could possibly take for them to get large enough to play with. "Oh well…"

Angel chuckled softly, noting the disgruntled look on his daughter's face. "Don't worry Mina, I'm sure time will go by quick enough. But until then you need to be quiet around them and let them sleep. They need sleep a lot while they are little." He smiled to soften the rebuke.

Mina nodded, not altogether too certain her Daddy-Sire was correct about time going by quickly. After all…it had already been an entire day and the twins were still the same, small size! She hardly noticed that he had corrected her, choosing to instead go back to her coloring. The logic of coloring was much easier to understand than that of babies, apparently.

"Let's take the twins to the nursery," Willow suggested, watching as her daughter walked back over to the living room area and then to her coloring books. She could understand her daughter's reaction…sorta. They had never fully explained to Mina how things would be after the twins were born. Maybe there had been some pre-conceived notions that she should have quashed earlier. She bit her lip, frowning.

"It'll be okay, luv," Spike whispered, allowing his free hand to caress her arm in a soothing motion. It didn't take a mind reader to know that his red haired witch was worried about Mina. "She'll get used to it all." He gave one of the cocky smiles he knew she loved so much and was rewarded with a tiny smile of her own.

"I'm sure you're right." Nothing more could be said, however, as David chose to make his newly wakeful status known to the trio with a loud wail. A split second later Alex did the same and the room was filled with momentary commotion as the carriers were relieved of their burdens. Willow cradled David, marveling how he had ended up with blond hair and brown eyes, while his brother was blessed with dark hair and blue eyes. It was like the twins were a mixture of their fathers. She looked over to see that her mates were cuddling and trying their best to quiet Alex.

"Let's get them into the nursery and then I'll heat up some bottles for them, I'm sure they're hungry." The decision not to breastfeed the twins had been an agonizing one, but one she was sure was for the best. There was no way to be sure how the bond she had with Angel and Spike would affect her milk – she had not risked it with Mina and didn't want to risk it with the twins, either.

The vampires smiled, following her down the hall with their precious burden. It was amazing to see how quickly their witchy mate fell into her mothering ways. No matter the time that had passed between this birth and Mina's, she still knew exactly what to do to make things right.

Which was good…since they didn't have a clue.
 

Part: 2

Willow was tired.

She could admit it – and did to herself and anyone else that would listen. It seemed as though every time she closed her eyes one or both of the twins would wake up, needing something. A bottle, a diaper change…or even just to be held. Her normally sparkling green eyes were glazed and dull as she rocked back and forth in the chair Angel had brought home only the night before, claiming it would be perfect for rocking the boys to sleep. Only problem was that the twins liked it a little *too* much. They would wake from seemingly sound sleeps as soon as she would stop – causing her to take up the rocking again.

This was the situation she was in when Mina walked into the nursery, her Candyland game box tucked under her arm. "Mommy, can we play together? … Mommy?"

Willow snapped out of her near-catatonic state, noting that Alex had finally joined his brother in sleep. She stood slowly, cradling the infant to her chest. With agonizingly slow steps she made her way to the second of two bassinets, placing him into it with motherly care and exaggeration. Turning back to her daughter, still waiting patiently in the doorway, the witch sighed. It wouldn't be fair to turn her away… yet she was so tired.

"Sure, Mina, baby." Willow sighed at last. "Let's go to the living room, though – so we don't wake up your brothers." With a last look at the twins she flipped on the baby monitor and grabbed the receiver, carrying it to the living room where Mina was already setting up the game board. With any luck her mates would be home soon and could watch over Mina while she got a little sleep. It was only blind bad luck that had called them out of town to deal with one of Delia's visions early the night before.

Time seemed to creep by for Willow as she watched the little plastic game pieces make their way around the board of multi-colored squares. It was almost hypnotic, the way the colors would blend together, the track forming a swirling kaleidoscope that seemed to…

Mina looked up from moving her piece, her eyes wide as the most un-mommy-like snores began to fill the room. Slightly saddened that her game was cut short, the child couldn't stop herself from giggling quietly. Her mommy was a snore-head! The thought brought more giggles from her lips and she forced herself to smother them with her hand since mommy so obviously needed a nap. "You just lie there, Mommy." She whispered, finally composing herself.

Taking quick, quiet steps, the five year old made her way to her parents' bedroom. She grabbed a pillow from the pile laid so neatly at the head of the king sized bed. A blanket was next and she chose the lightest one, dragging it behind her to the living room. With exaggerated care she placed the blanket over her mommy, careful not to disturb her. Then the hard part…the pillow. How could she get the pillow under mommy's head without waking mommy up?

"You'll be okay without the pillow, right mommy?" A snore was her only response. Sitting on the edge of one of the plush leather chairs, Mina looked around the room. Now that mommy was asleep it was sorta scary. Her eyes strayed to the clock, wondering what could be keeping her daddies so long. Mommy had said they would be home tonight. Well, wasn't it tonight already?

Mommy needed sleep. The daddies weren't there. This just wouldn't do at all. Who was going to make her dinner? Read her bedtime story? Tuck her in? Green eyes slowly lit up as an idea took form in the child's head.

She knew just who to call.

~*~*~

Not even twenty minutes later Mina heard keys in the lock of the front door. She peered over the back of the chair, waiting to see who would enter. Would it be the daddies or…?

"Unca Xander! Unca Graham!" She whispered excitedly, hopping down from her chair to run to the doorway. Her uncles had been more than happy to come over when she had called them for help. And Unca Graham always made the best macaroni and cheese dinners!

Xander grinned down at the child clinging to his leg. His eyes roamed the portion of the apartment he could see. The house was a wreck. Candy wrappers were on the table, crayons on the floor. A juice cup containing what might have been Mina's morning OJ still sat on one of the end tables near the television. It was obvious that Willow had been in a state of exhaustion without Angel and Spike around to help out with things. "Hey, squirt. Your mom in her room?" A sudden snore from the couch elicited a grin from the young man. "Never mind, I hear her."

"You hungry, Mina?" Graham asked, leading her towards the kitchen. He hoped Willow had some of the Kraft instant pasta Mina liked so much. He had never had the heart to tell the child that it wasn't homemade. He gave his lover a smile over his shoulder before disappearing with the babbling five year old into the other room.

"Wills, Wills, Wills…" Xander sighed, beginning to straighten up the living room. Why she hadn't called them in the first place, when Spike and Angel first got called out of town, he didn't know. "Probably too stubborn to admit she couldn't take care of her family by herself." He mumbled to himself, dislodging a sticky sucker wrapping from the table. It would need some polishing, for sure, to get back to its normal shiny metallic state. But Deadboy and Junior could take care of that when they got home.

"Speaking of which…" Xander looked at the phone base on the wall, wondering where the missing handheld was. Hitting the page button and
hoping he didn't wake up Willow, he followed the dim beeping noise to its source – hidden under a stack of Mina's school clothes that were obviously meant to have been folded. Fishing the phone out he hit one of the pre-programmed numbers, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end.

~*~*~

"We had no idea we'd be gone that long…" Angel sighed, trying to make excuses as he entered the living room of his apartment. He grinned
sheepishly at Xander and Graham. "Thanks for coming over to watch Mina…"

"S'ok." Xander smiled. "In fact – we were wondering if Mina would like to come stay with us for the rest of the weekend." He had heard from the child all about her three-day weekend and knew it was the perfect opportunity for her to get away from the apartment and have some noisy, rambunctious fun for a day or two.

"Can I Daddies?" Mina asked, her eyes wide and hopeful. "I mean…I'll miss you lots. But…can I *please* go?"

Grinning, Spike picked up his little girl, swinging her in a circle. "You want outta here, huh, Strawberries? Go make some noise? Run around and be silly? Let your `Uncas' spoil you rotten?"

Mina nodded happily. If she could get Daddy-Spike to agree…Daddy-Sire wouldn't stand a chance.

"I don't see any harm in it. Peaches?"

Angel nodded slowly. Maybe it would be good for his daughter to get out of the apartment. After having warned her to be quiet for the first few days the twins had been at home, the red haired child had turned into a much more subdued version of herself. Maybe a day or two of good old-fashioned fun would be just what she needed. "Just don't let her eat too much junk food, ok, guys?"

"Of course not." Graham smirked. He winked at his lover, already planning a large meal of sweets and treats for their favorite, and only, niece. "Don't worry – we'll take good care of her."

"Can we go to the zoo?" Mina asked excitedly, leading Xander back to her room to pack a bag of her things for the weekend. The answer was
lost as they left the room.

"Seriously, guys." Graham murmured, turning to face both of the vampires at one time. "Willow is exhausted – she hasn't woken up the entire time we've been here. Let her sleep some. I'm sure you two can take care of the twins for the rest of the night, right?" He raised his eyebrows, ready to lay into them if they argued in any way. Willow was his friend, too, and he hated seeing her like this.

The two agreed silently, listening to the snoring in the background. She had to be dead-tired to be making that much noise and, once she was fully awake and rested, she would never hear the end of it, either.
 

Part: 3

It was bad. Horrible. Absolutely the worst possible thing that could happen to two centuries old vampires. But there was no way around it. Something had to be done.

"You sure we can't just wake her up?" Spike whispered, looking over his shoulder at the red head sleeping so peacefully in the middle of their bed. They had moved her there soon after Xander and Graham had left with Mina. Not once had the exhausted witch even made a motion to wake up, her body so desperately in need of sleep that it had shut down all but the most basic of functions – such as breathing. The movement *had* caused her to cease snoring, for which the vampires were exceedingly grateful.  With one arm thrown over her eyes, as if to block out even the most stray particle of light she looked beautiful - exhausted, but beautiful.

"No! She needs to get some sleep." Angel sighed, running a hand back through his hair. He stared down at the scene before him, wondering how he had ever gotten through this with Mina. The thought of his daughter brought a smile to his lips, despite the gravity of the situation. She was still staying with her ‘Uncles so she wasn't home to witness his embarrassment, thank God.

"But...*Sire*..." Spike whined, glaring down at the two little babies. His nose wrinkled in disgust as the subject of their conversation made itself known again, as a foul odor wafted upwards. The look on Angel's face would not be argued with, however, and the blond found himself reaching for the twins' diaper bag. He pulled out two Disney-printed diapers and handed them to the darker haired man standing next to him.

"It'll be ok..." Angel mumbled, more to himself than anyone else. He couldn't understand how two tiny little creatures had managed to make such a foul stench. It was amazing Willow could sleep through it. "This stuff could probably kill a few demons I know." He smirked.

Spike snickered, pulling a box of wipes from the twins’ Winnie the Pooh covered diaper bag. "Now...just clean the little blokes off and I'll get them all diapered up again." He tried to hand the wipes to Angel, discovering that the older vampire wasn't going to have any part of it.

"Me?" Angel snorted. He held up one diaper in each hand. "Hands are full, can't help ya there." He crossed his arms, his statement daring the blond to contradict him. They stared at each other in a contest of wills, neither blinking or moving.

Amazingly, Angel gave in first.

“Fine. You do Alex’s and I’ll do David’s.” He fought back his demon’s urge to just force his Childe to do it all – though he was sure there was no Sire-Childe provision about the changing of dirty diapers. The fact that they didn’t need to breathe didn’t stop them from inhaling the foul odor coming from the twins every time they took in air to speak and it was enough to make Angel gag.

“Oh…bloody hell!” Spike exclaimed softly, taking a step back. The smell was just…awful. Alex looked up at him, his small eyes threatening to spill over with fresh tears at any second if his body was not cleaned promptly.

“Its…not…that…bad…” Angel choked out between clenched teeth. Moving with the speed of necessity he grabbed a handful of baby wipes, gently scouring every inch of his charge’s bottom.

“Yeah…right.” Spike snorted, beginning to do the same. He couldn’t remember a single time they had done this when Mina was born. Then again…Mina was only one child and they had never left Willow alone to deal with her by herself. This was, in effect, their punishment for leaving their mate to deal with the twins on her own. If she were awake he had no doubt that she wouldn’t *let* them minister to the babies. She was protective like that.

Finally clean enough for new diapers, the twins were cooing and smiling, their tiny hands waving in the air. Angel lifted David carefully, placing a fresh diaper beneath him before gently resting him back on the changing table. He fumbled with the bits of tape, finally managing to get them secured, though the finished product looked nothing like what Willow would have done, he knew.

Spike didn’t fare much better, succeeding in ruining one diaper before getting another into a semi-decent position. “Doesn’t look this hard on the tele.”

“I would have thought you would have learned by now not to believe everything you see on TV,” Angel grinned. He picked up his son, cradling the infant ever so gently in his arms. After a few moments of soft rocking the baby drifted off to sleep. He gestured for Spike to do the same for Alex and was thrilled when the other twin soon fell asleep as well. “Put them to bed and join Willow?”

“Sounds like a wonderful plan to me.”
 

Part: 4

The twins…She had to get to them. Someone wanted to take them away from her. Willow rushed through the fog of her dreams…Searching for what she lost without knowing what it was. All she knew, could feel, was that it had to do with her babies…her boys…and then…a figure she recognized…someone that shouldn’t be there…couldn’t be there…but she was…and she was holding Willow’s babies…

Willow woke with a scream, the baby monitor echoing that with cries from the twins. In a matter of a second the bed erupted in a flurry of legs and arms as Willow struggled to crawl over her groggy lovers.

“What happened, Pet?” Spike asked, sleepily, following his mate to the nursery. She moved much quicker than him, however, and by the time he got to the doorway she had already lifted the crying twin into her arms and began to sing softly to him.

“Huh?” Willow asked sleepily. Her tired mind struggled to remember when her mates had gotten home but all she could do was draw a blank. The last thing she remembered was playing some game with Mina and then…dreaming? She had fallen asleep! “Mina!” The red head looked around the room, as if expecting to find her daughter by her side. “Is she okay? I must have fallen asleep…” Her voice trailed off at the sleepy grins on her lovers’ faces.

“She’s fine, darling.” Angel murmured. “She called Xander and Graham when you fell asleep. They stayed with her until we got home a little over an hour later. In fact…she’s staying with them for the rest of the weekend, too.” He caught her elbow as she wobbled slightly, eliciting a startled cry from the baby in her arms. Deciding they needed to get back to bed as soon as possible, he left the room to heat up a bottle for Alex.

“Oh…” The red head’s face fell. She was happy that Mina was okay…but to have failed so horribly at her motherly duties was awful. “I’m so sorry… I can’t believe…” Her voice trailed off as tired tears streaked her face.

“It’s okay, Pet,” Spike murmured. He kissed her forehead. Somehow he doubted this was the reason she had woken up screaming, but it could wait until morning when she was more rested. “No one blames you.”

“Of course we don’t.” Angel re-entered the room, holding the bottle out to Willow who took it with a weary ‘thanks’.

“I’ll go straighten out the bed.” Spike offered, a yawn punctuating his words. “All the bloody covers are on the floor after that little commotion we just made.” With a sleepy wave the blond left the room, presumably to do just that.

Watching as Willow fed the baby, Angel couldn’t get past how beautiful she was. Even at five in the morning, with her hair tousled and sleep circles under her eyes, she was still beautiful. He admired the way she looked after their children with such strong mothering instincts, even when it was evidently difficult on her at times.

Like tonight.

“Ready to go back to sleep?”

His mate’s softly spoken words pulled him out of his adoring thoughts. Pulling her into his arms he tilted her face up to him and gave her a soft, loving kiss. Passion flared briefly between the two of them before being squelched by their need for sleep. “I love you, Willow – the mother of my children.”

Willow smiled and took his hand, leading him back towards their bedroom.  “And I love you too, my Angel.”

“What about me?” Spike whined. His eyes were closed and he looked for all the world like he was asleep…or dead.

“Yes, yes. Love you too, Spike.” Angel smirked, rolling into bed.

“Aw, Peaches…” The blond intoned, yawning loudly.

“Love you both!” Willow laughed, turning off the light on the nightstand. “Now can we please sleep?”
 

Part: 5

Biting lightly on the cap of an elegant and expensive looking pen Lilah looked over the documents in front of her, waiting for her next appointment to show up. It was nearly two hours past sunset, and though the guest had assured her that she would be there within an hour of that time, the lawyer had already known better than to trust her to keep to it. Her eyes wandered over the file in front of her, taking in the appearance of the individuals in the picture. Surely these were the ones she was looking for. The ones that could find the amulet the Senior Partners wanted so badly.

Only problem was -- they wouldn't talk to her.

In fact, they had killed every single goon, henchman and operative she had sent to negotiate with them. One by one she had watched her best and most talented contacts return in body bags. Demon and human alike - they were no match for these creatures.

And they were the only ones who could possibly know where the amulet was.

Cool eyes swept over the pictures, taken from quite a distance by a man that disappeared suddenly the day after he handed them in to her. The creatures portrayed were far from human. Even with the bad quality of the photograph she could see the horns sticking out on the tops of their heads. From other accounts, written in some of the books lining her offices bookshelves, she knew that these horns were razor sharp and poisonous to touch. This was the reason her contacts didn't stand a chance with them. She needed someone much better than the petty thugs she usually dealt with.

She needed a vampire, to be exact. Someone who was impervious to the poison, strong enough to get in and get the job done and innocent looking enough to not be taken as a threat until it was too late.

Which left only one choice.

How she had figured out the key to all of this was a mystery even to her. Certainly there had to be better options than sending in someone with only half a mind to begin with. But Drusilla had the qualities that just might make it all work. She was strong, had no little bit of magic luck on her side. Not to mention those "stars" that were always talking to her and telling her how to get things done. If the stars could guide the insane loon to get the job done, Lilah figured she just *might* start believing in them.

So here she was, waiting for Drusilla to show up. She was only an hour late - for her that was probably a record. In the end, getting what the loony vampiress wanted the most would be a piece of cake. Easily accomplished tonight, in fact – if Dru showed up anytime soon, that is.

A single rap on the other side of her office door brought Lilah out of her reverie. She looked up, barking a quick, “Come in.”

”Your appointment is here, Ma’am.”

The female lawyer nodded curtly at her personal aide, gesturing for the woman to leave and show Drusilla in. A moment later the dark haired vampiress darkened the doorframe, her eyes scanning over the room, a soft smile on her lips.

“What lovely things you have…” Dru murmured, sweeping her hand across one of the statuettes near the doorway. Her touch was light, gentle, but enough to make Lilah draw in a breath. The statuette was one of a kind, of course. Commissioned by Lilah from a woman no longer amongst the living and one of the last works the artist ever did – it was a magnificent piece of bronze and steel. She waited, her patience becoming thinner as the dark-haired woman made a circuit of the room, inspecting each and every item with meticulous care and wonder.

Lilah cleared her throat, her eyes widening when the vampiress’s gaze turned to her. “Would you like to get started, Dru? The night grows short. If we want to get everything taken care of we need to start soon.”

Cocking her head to the side, the dark haired vampiress pursed her lips. She smiled slowly, her eyes filled with wicked happiness. “Yes…we must start. The nursery is ready and the stars tell me I shall have my children tonight.” Closing her eyes she rocked back and forth, humming to herself what could only be a lullaby. In her mind’s eye she could see herself, playing mommy to the babies. Raising them. Making them her own. Let the stars curse her Daddy and Spikey for giving the babies to that awful red haired witch. They should have been hers.

Only hers.

Lilah waited for Drusilla to take a seat before sitting back into her own. She smiled – the type of smile she gave all of her prospective clients and employees - the one that radiated confidence but was lacking in any and all sincerity. She passed the folder across her desk to the vampiress, noting that the woman did not even open it. Her dark eyes met those of the lawyer and Lilah shivered involuntarily. “We get Angel’s twins for you and you will do a small errand for the firm, correct?”

Drusilla smiled, her white teeth flashing in the dim light of the room. She knew all about the amulet the lawyer wanted. The stars had told her all about it – the Amulet of Arathin, bringer of darkness. It would be a powerful weapon, the stars whispered. It was something she should, in all honesty, keep for herself. But there were more important things in her future. It was time to settle down, after all. Start a family. “Of course. I will retrieve the amulet you seek. The stars whisper that it will be no difficult thing…But I want my family first…” She pouted.

Not fooled by the display of childish behavior, Lilah nodded. “And you shall have them. We have a team ready and waiting to go with you tonight to claim your…family.” She said the last word with distaste. There was no telling what the vampire would do with the babies once she had them. Not that Lilah cared – they were Angel’s children after all. But what the wacky woman in front of her would do with a child was beyond her comprehension.

“Perfect.” Drusilla purred, standing from her chair in one swift motion. She grabbed the file from the desk, clutching it to her chest as if it held the key to her very life. “Let us go get them and then I shall retrieve your amulet.”

Lilah smiled, her thoughts echoing the woman’s sentiments of perfection. She picked up the receiver of her desktop phone and dialed out, listening impatiently for someone to pick it up. When someone finally did she was short and to the point, the evil grin on her face belying the excitement she felt. With this acquisition she was guaranteed to gain favor in the eyes of the senior partners.

“Its time. Set things in motion.”
 

Part: 6

Walking through the nearly deserted halls of Wolfram and Hart, Lindsey let his mind wander. This was his favorite time of day. The offices were quiet – nearly all of the partners and aides gone home for the day. Not even the fax machines were alert and making noise. It was the perfect time to just walk and think about anything and everything that was on his mind.

More than mild surprise filled him as he passed Lilah’s office. Though the desk of her personal aide was dark and empty, the small window next to the female lawyer’s door glowed with light from within. He frowned. Usually even that power-hound was out of here by this time.

Unless she was up to something to earn favor she didn’t deserve, maybe?

He stopped outside her door and, hearing nothing to indicate she had visitors, knocked once before entering. “Well, well, Lilah, working late, I see?” He smirked, seeing her desk full of paperwork. Maybe for once she had put off her clients too long and it was catching up to her? He could only hope that she was doing something to cause herself disfavor in the eyes of the partners.

The female lawyer smiled coolly, her eyes sparkling with smugness. “Not really working, per se.” She drawled, sliding the folder she had been looking through across the desk for him to see. There was no harm in letting him in on her plan – not when it would be wrapped up so soon. Within a matter or hours all of her hard work would come to fruition.

“The Amulet of Arathin?” Lindsey whispered. He couldn’t control the shocked look that passed over his face. “You’ve got it?” He cursed himself mentally for not working a little harder to retrieve the trinket. If she got it before him…things would be bad.

“I will before the night is over.” She shrugged nonchalantly, enjoying the younger man’s discomfort. She knew he had been looking for the Amulet, he was the one who had tipped her off about it, in fact. Well, not tipped her off…more like he had left the file where she could get to it. It wasn’t her fault his passwords were so easy to crack. She had just beaten him to the punch, again.

“But…how…those demons…?” Those deadly creatures had been the one thing he hadn’t been able to solve about the entire acquisition. He flipped to the second page of the folder, surprised to see notes about Drusilla scrawled across them in Lilah’s altogether inelegant handwriting. An address at the bottom of the page caught his attention and he made a mental note of it just in case. “You got Dru to help? How? Promise her Spike’s love again?”

Lilah snorted. “Nothing so difficult. Why promise the impossible when she would do anything to get her hands on those new twins of Angel’s…She wants to be in a ‘family’ way, it seems.” She laughed. “Right about now Angel is being called away for ‘an important tip’, leaving his little red haired bitch alone with the babies. Drusilla should have them in her cold, dead arms in less than an hour. And the amulet will be mine soon after.”

This time the shock he felt didn’t manage to make its way to his outer features. As cold hearted as he was he would *never* have turned over mere infants to a vampire. Especially not one who had so little of a mind as Drusilla. Something this awful he had thought was even beyond the woman sitting in front of him.

He had thought wrong, apparently.

Masking his emotions carefully he gave her what he hoped was a cocky smile. “Well, congratulations. I’m sure the senior partners will be well-pleased with you when you give them the amulet.” His stomach was clenched in knots as he made enough pleasantries to finally be able to leave the room.

Careful not to walk too quickly, Lindsey made his way back to his own office. An attack of conscience was creeping up on him quicker than he could handle and he didn’t want it to happen in so public an area as the hallway. By the time he sat down behind his desk again his face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. Mind racing, the lawyer debated his few options. ‘I can just let it go. Let Dru take the brats and Lilah will give the amulet to the partners.’ He shook his head to himself. That wouldn’t work. Drusilla was sure to kill the babies – whether she meant to or not. And something like that he just couldn’t have weighing on his conscience for the rest of his days.

Not to mention the fact that if he helped get the twins back to their parents it was sure to make Drusilla unhappy. An unhappy Dru meant no Amulet for Lilah. And seeing Lilah’s plans ruined, yet again, might be worth it all. He could, in the movie theater of his mind, picture the smug look disappearing off of the face of the female lawyer when she didn’t get the Amulet. This was the only chance she had come across recently to get in good with the senior partners. Maybe this could work to his advantage, after all.

He stood, grabbing his suit jacket and turning off his office light. With a grim face he slowly exited the building, careful to appear not to be in too much of a hurry.

‘I guess I’ll have to let Angel know…’

Hopefully the vampire wouldn’t kill him first.
 

Part: 7

“Shhh…” Willow cooed, walking through the apartment, little David nestled against her chest. He had woken not too long after she had put them to bed for the evening, right after Angel and Spike had rushed out to meet with an informant on their latest case. The night was still young and she had hopes that the boys would be back before too late. Humming softly, she stopped in the middle of the living room, her body swaying back and forth, gently trying to urge her child to sleep.

At first, the noise coming from the front door was too quiet to be consciously noticed above the whir of the central air kicking in. But slowly her ears picked it up, a soft noise, as if someone was scratching at the door. Her eyes drifting slowly to the source of the apparent noise, Willow
watched the knob slowly move, as if someone were trying to pick the magically enhanced lock from the outside. Eyes wide, she grabbed the phone
off the charger and moved swiftly to the back of the apartment to where the nursery was located. She ran for the door, shutting it hard behind her and snapping the lock into place. For the first time she noticed just how small and flimsy the door lock was. It certainly wasn’t enough to keep out any determined criminal.

Her heart pounding in her ears, the young witch placed David in his bassinet and dialed Angel’s cell phone number, silently begging him to answer. She could hear the door break open at the other end of the apartment, as the would-be intruders finally got tired of trying to break open the magically enhanced locks. With a sinking heart, Willow listened as Angel’s voicemail message came over the line. Even through the closed nursery door she could hear things being overturned, items breaking. The building was a private one and there were no neighbors to hear anything – no one to come to her rescue.

~*~

Drusilla paused outside of the open doorway, watching as the hired help of the law firm rushed into the apartment. They were making a mess of her Daddy’s things – breaking pictures, turning over furniture. It was all too perfect.

“The stars sing such sweet songs…” The vampiress murmured, holding her hand up to the entranceway. The gesture was hesitant, as if she were perhaps unsure of the result. “They say the little witch isn’t quite human because of her bond. Her home is not her haven,” She whispered to herself, smiling widely as she pushed her hand through the doorway. The resistance that should have appeared to deny her entrance was not there. She was free to enter the apartment.

Stepping into the room, Drusilla looked around, her eyes alight with a mixture of joy and anger. This was where her Daddy and Spikey played house
with the witch. This was where they gave all the love and prezzies that should have gone to *her* to that little red haired witch. A picture caught
her eye and she grabbed onto it, staring in surprise. Spike, Willow and Angel stared up at her, the light of the afternoon sun shining down on them.
It was one of the few pictures the family had of the day they shared in the sunlight when the twins were conceived. “My Angel…in the sunlight.”
Confusion marred her pretty face and she flung the item aside, the glass shattering into hundreds of pieces on the polished wood floor.

No longer smiling, the vampiress made her way down the hall – towards the sound of two tiny heartbeats.

~*~

“Open up, little willow tree….”

Willow froze, recognizing the voice though she had only seen the woman behind it a few times in her life. The voice brought back memories of her
nightmare from the previous night. Dimly she heard the tone signaling that the voicemail was ready to take her message. She ignored the crazy woman on the other side of the door; her voice cracking as hysterical sobs broke through the fear clogging her throat. “Angel…Dru is here… oh goddess…she’s here…the door won’t hold….”

She dropped the phone as the door splintered inwards, giving way under Drusilla’s insistent “knock”. The dark haired vampire smiled wickedly at the
red head.

“What do you want?” Willow asked, hoping she didn’t sound too scared, but knowing in her heart that she was petrified. Her mind raced with a million thoughts, all the protection spells she knew choosing to flee her memory at one time. ‘Please, Goddess. Don’t let her hurt my boys. Please don’t let her hurt my babies…’ The silent prayer flew to the heavens, clearing Willow’s mind and giving her enough clarity to remember the spells she needed. Her lips moved silently, the chant racing through her mind.

“The babies. We will make such a lovely family.” Her eyes narrowed. The witch’s lips were moving. Even though she couldn’t hear the words, Drusilla
knew it wouldn’t be a good thing to allow her to continue. Her dark eyes locked with the emerald green ones of the witch in front of her, ensnaring
the red head with the power of her mind alone. “I should have been their mommy. Angel is mine. Spikey is mine. You took them both from me. The stars say this is how you shall pay – I will take your babies for my own.”

Willow hardly saw the hand that moved to backhand her, flinging her across
the room to slam into one of the dressers. Her head exploded in a world of
pain and then everything went black….

~*~*~

Spike growled, kicking an empty can across the deserted parking lot they had parked Angel’s car in. “Well if that wasn’t a complete waste of our bloody time…”

Angel nodded. The meeting with the informant hadn’t gone as planned by a long shot. The man had shown up nearly half an hour late and then… Then he hadn’t had anything to say! He had “changed his mind” and was “afraid for his life”. Nothing Angel or Spike could say would get him to talk – no words of reassurance could be offered. Every time it looked like they had made progress, the informant would close up again, saying he would die if he talked. It had almost seemed like the man was just trying to kill time…trying to keep them there as long as possible. But…that couldn’t be it…

“Peaches…your cell thingie is flashing.”

The dark haired vampire picked up the tiny phone, left in the car to avoid making too much noise at the rendezvous point. The number displayed in the ‘missed calls’ section was from their own home. “Huh…wonder what Wills needed…”

Putting the car into gear, the vampire dialed the number to his voicemail, hoping his mate had left him a message. From the very first sob-filled word
his heart filled with dread.

“Angel…Dru is here… oh goddess…she’s here…the door won’t hold….”

**Wood cracking**

“What do you want?”

“The babies. We will make such a lovely family…. I should have been their mommy. Angel is mine. Spikey is mine. You took them both from me. The stars say this is how you shall pay – I will take your babies for my own.”

**Sharp smack followed by a dull thud.**

“Get them. Be careful…I will be very upset if they start crying. Get their
things.”

“What about the woman?”

“Leave her…the stars whisper she won’t live long without her twins…she will
fade and die…”

**Movement and then silence.**

Angel pulled the phone back from his ear, tossing it into the back seat with a growl. Shifting the gears of the car, he slammed the pedal to the floor, racing through the nearly empty streets and towards his home. His eyes glowed amber as the demon pushed to the surface, furious with his female Childe. The idea of that loon with his sons made him furious…and scared. She could harm them without even realizing it.

“Sire?” Spike asked cautiously. He could feel the fear and anger radiating off of the older vampire next to him and it worried him. “What’s wrong?”

“Dru…” Angel growled, the word coming out through fanged teeth. “She broke into the apartment….”

“What?!?!” Spike roared. Though un-beating, his heart clenched with fear, constricting in his chest until he took an unnecessary breath. “Red… David… Alex…”

“It sounds like Dru took the boys…” Angel whispered, gaining enough control over himself to shift back to his human façade. “I…I don’t know about
Willow… I only heard her for the first few seconds of the message.” Blood-tainted tears began to roll down his cheeks.

Spike nodded, sitting fully back in his seat. His hands clenched and unclenched, aching to tear into the demon that had done this. He watched the
road speed by in front of them, wishing there was a way to get home even quicker. Red must still be alive – they would have felt it otherwise,
through their bond. That was trivial, though. All he could think of…all he could swear with every fiber of his being was…

“Dru is going to pay for this.”
 

Part: 8

“Willow…”

Willow groaned, scrunching her eyes shut. There was so much pain. Her head hurt so badly. She couldn’t think of any valid reason why she should open them and cause herself more pain. For that matter, she couldn’t remember why she was in pain in the first place.

“You need to wake up…c’mon…”

The red head’s eyes snapped open – her pain-fogged mind finally remembering what had happened. “ALEX! DAVID!” She screamed, blindly struggling to sit up. Strong arms held her down and she kicked out, connecting with something. A startled cry met her assault and she finally got into a sitting position.

“Who are you? Where are my babies?” The witch growled, rising unsteadily to her feet. All of her rage and fear came rushing to the surface and before he could answer she was on him, anger giving her strength she didn’t know she possessed. Straddling his body with her own, the little red head pinned each of his arms under one of her knees. Grabbing a handful of the man’s hair she slammed his head back into the floor, smiling in satisfaction when his eyes crossed with the momentary pain. “I don’t like repeating myself.” She hissed, again knocking his head onto the floor. “Who are you?” Her eyes locked with those of the well-dressed man sprawled on the nursery floor. Only half-consciously did she see that the nursery had been trashed, clothing and toys scattered everywhere.

“Lindsey…Lindsey McDonald…” He struggled to push the woman off of him, succeeding only in earning himself another impact with the carpeting. ‘They really should invest in some padding.’ He joked to himself, the pain in his head making it difficult to form any thoughts that were more coherent.

“You…I’ve heard of you. You work for that hellish law firm, right? Wolfram and Hart?” Willow spat out, her eyes blazing with fury. The slow nod he gave only served to enrage her further. “Did you send that monster to my home?!?!?”

“Whoa! Can you just calm down for a second?” Lindsey said steadily, aware that he didn’t sound quite as firm as he would have liked. “Time out. If I
had been the one to send her do you think I’d be standing here, waiting for you to wake up and find me?” He winced as his head again slammed into the floor, this time as she released her hold on his hair.

“That doesn’t prove anything other than your own stupidity.” Her hand collided with his cheek, leaving an impressive handprint. This man obviously
knew something or else he wouldn’t be here, taunting her with his mere presence.

Lindsey massaged the inside of his mouth with his tongue, tasting his own blood. “Alright, then…Would it help if I promised I had nothing to do with
it?” The lawyer continued, flashing her one of his client-winning smiles despite the pain he was in. If reason wouldn’t work, maybe charm would.

His next words were cut off by a crash from the living room and the shouts of two very worried vampires. “Willow!” “Red!” Willow barely made it off of the lawyer before the two men entered the room, Angel immediately grabbing Lindsey from the floor by his tie, his face a mask of demonic rage. The pictures on the walls shook as the vampire slammed the mortal lawyer into the wall, the human’s head cracking upon it with a thud.

“Where are my sons?”

“Can’t…breathe…” The man choked out, his face slowly turning from pink to red.

Releasing his hold only enough to allow Lindsey to breathe, Angel repeated his previous question, shaking the man in his hands with each word for
emphasis, his head jolting into the wall with each shake. “Where…are…my…sons?”

Lindsey took as deep a breath as he could under the tight grip, almost surprised that he had managed to live this long in the presence of the
vampire. He had hoped to give the red head the information and then leave, without ever having to see Angel or his misfit Childe. “I didn’t have a part in this, Angel. You know me. I wouldn’t hurt *children*.” He rolled his eyes when the vampire snorted in derision. “Fine. Don’t believe me on that one. I care, really.”

”You *will* care when we’re done with you, lawyer-boy.” Spike drawled, leaning against the doorway. He couldn’t hurt the lawyer without causing
himself pain but he was sure his Sire would put the snotty little git in a world of hurt.

“Do you want the information I have or not?” Lindsey snapped, his patience breaking. He watched in wonder as Willow put a calming hand on Angel’s arm. Green eyes met golden and slowly, grudgingly, Angel released his hold on the lawyer.

Clearing her throat, Willow stepped in front of Angel, placing herself in the line of fire should the vampire decide to go for the young man again. If
things kept going the way they were the lawyer would be out cold or knocked silly before he could tell them anything. The smile she gave Lindsey was only offset by the coldness in her eyes – the determination to do what must be done to get her children home. “Tell me where they are and you can leave here in one piece.” She whispered evenly, her eyes never leaving those of the man in front of her. “But if you don’t tell me something useful, I will cause you pain beyond comparison. I don’t *care* if this isn’t your fault. You know about it and I have no doubt in my mind that it’s because of something someone at *your* law firm did.”

Lindsey nodded once, slowly. He had no doubt in his mind that the little red haired witch would do exactly what she claimed if he didn’t help her. “Lilah did this to get the Amulet of Arathin. She helps Drusilla get the kids – Drusilla helps her get the amulet. Not quite a fair trade, if you ask me.”
He reached for his pocket slowly, making it as clear as possible that the action wasn’t threatening. “Here’s the only address I have.” He pulled a
slip of paper out of his pocket, handing it to the woman still standing in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes.

Willow handed the paper to Angel without turning, her gaze never leaving Lindsey. “Thank you. Heed this warning though. If anything happens to my children I will send you and everyone at your company to the pits of Hell.” Her eyes blazed with pent up rage. “And I do mean that literally. My
conscience won’t nag me for it. I’ll do it with a smile on my face.”

“Now get out of here before she decides to let us rip you into little, bloody pieces and dance the Mexican hat dance on your entrails,” Spike
snarled.

Without a backward glance the lawyer left the room. Angel listened quietly to the noises of the apartment before nodding that the man was gone. The only consolation in all of this was that Mina was still safely at Xander and Graham’s. With any luck this would all be over before she came home.
Reaching into his pants’ pocket he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the people one by one that he knew he could trust to watch his back – and those of his sons.  Willow’s hand on his back was the only grip he had on reality as he called first Wesley, then Gunn, asking them to meet him at the address in twenty minutes.

He only hoped he could get there in time – and have the strength to destroy his daughter when he did.
 

Part: 9

Drusilla put her hands to her ears, trying to drown out the noise of the babies crying in the room next door. They just wouldn’t stop! She shut her
eyes, trying to go into a happy place. She was so deeply involved in this tactic she hardly noticed when the noise stopped. A tap on her shoulder
shook her out of her trance-like state and she turned to face the one who had did so. “The noise…it’s gone…”

“Yes, mistress.” One of her newly-made minions murmured, staring at the floor. “The nursemaid from that lawyer-woman has arrived. She is feeding the babies now.”

Drusilla nodded, waving away the female vampire. She smiled, the sound of silence filling her ears. With a lighter heart she made her way to the
nursery.

“Madam, these gowns…” The nursemaid began, her eyes reproachful. In her arms lay Alex, quietly drinking from a bottle, his tiny body wrapped in a gown of black silk and soft lace. It was morbid-looking to say the least – not to mention totally inappropriate for a child.

“Yes?” Drusilla warned, raising an eyebrow. She would rather listen to the screaming of the children than have some ignorant human tell her how to
raise her family.

The nursemaid paled. “They’re beautiful. Just perfect for such little darlings…” She stammered, backing up a step to stand next to Alex’s crib.

“Of course.” The vampire purred, walking further into the room. “Nothing but the best for my babies. Nothing but the best.” Cold eyes took in the room and its lack of decorations. The few supplies she had for the twins had either been taken from their home or had been delivered courtesy of Wolfram and Hart. It all lacked imagination. “Crystal?” Her eyes turned to the vampire waiting quietly at the door. “Be a dear and fetch some prezzies for the babies? Something…dark and soft? I want them here by the time I get back from my errand.”

Crystal nodded, backing out of the room.

Before she could even turn back to the nursemaid the babies had already begun crying again – first one, then the other. The dark haired vampiress
growled softly, her eyes bleeding to gold in irritation. “I am leaving now.” Drusilla said clearly above the noise, addressing the nursemaid still
standing by Alex’s crib. It was time to get the amulet for that Lilah creature before the annoying woman called her again – and it wouldn’t hurt to get away from these screaming things, either. “You will make sure they are okay while I am away?” It was more of a statement that a question.

The nursemaid nodded, picking up one of the wailing children in her arms. She held the infant to her, gently pushing a warm bottle to his mouth.

“Good. I expect it to be so.” The vampire smiled, turning to leave the room. She sincerely hoped the infants had quieted down before she got home. “The stars will let me know if anything goes wrong…”

“I don’t feel Dru…” Angel whispered, turning to the blond haired vampire next to him. They had parked a block from the address and were now standing only a few feet from the entrance, Gunn and Wesley waiting a safe distance across the street. They would enter only after Angel and Spike had cleared the way past the initial guards.

“Neither do I.” Spike agreed. “There’s a bloody horde of minions, though. I can feel them, like rats in a nest.” He shifted from foot to foot,
impatience getting the better of him. Somewhere in that building his sons were being subjected to the ‘tender’ mercies of vampires. Why were they
standing around waiting? “Peaches…you think we can get this show started?”

Angel nodded, slightly saddened by what was about to occur. Whether or not Dru was inside at this moment, she would die soon. He would wait here until she returned and then… He took an unnecessary breath, forcing it out in a violent sigh. “Why, Spike? Why couldn’t she just leave things be? Stay far away from here?”

The blond haired vampire didn’t have to ask who ‘she’ was. He knew exactly what his Sire was feeling. The thought of destroying his ex-lover was enough to cause him some sadness – even after years of separation. “I don’t know. She never was right in the head, you know. We were ‘hers’ – she must think the twins are ‘hers’ too.” He shrugged. “It really doesn’t bloody well matter though, does it? She went too far this time.

“Yes. She did.” Checking to make sure all of the stakes he had packed were still in his pockets, the elder vampire smiled thinly. “Let’s end this.”

The minions at the front door never stood a chance. One second they were there…the next, they were dust in the wind. Angel kicked open the door, his face ridged and furious. “Where are they?” He snarled, grabbing the first fledgling he encountered as Spike went to work on the others in the room. Behind him he could hear the arrival of Wesley and Gunn, the two men joining the fray without any words being spoken.

“Who?” The startled fledgling managed to croak out, trying to play dumb. He didn’t know who this master was in front of him but one thing was sure – he was much older and stronger than the Mistress.

“My children.” Angel growled, his face only inches from his captive’s. “Where are the twins that Drusilla brought home?” Deeper in the building he
could feel their tiny hearts beating, calling out to him. The home was too big, though. Anything could happen in the time it would take to find them.

“I don’t know what you…” The younger vampire’s words were cut off as Angel tightened his grip on his throat.

“Listen to me very carefully.” The dark haired vampire murmured, his eyes golden with rage. The sounds of battle were like background music to him – all that mattered was finding out where his sons were. “You don’t know the bad things I can do to you. I created your precious Mistress and I will
destroy her.” He ran a finger down the side of the vampire’s cheek. “It’s really quite amazing how much damage our bodies can take before they finally give in to death.”

The fledgling trembled in the hands of his captor, his own eyes wide with fear. This was his Mistress’ maker? This was…Angelus? He had been made only a few months before, yet already he knew who this creature was. The very name was a bogeyman to young vampires – be good or Angelus would come get you. The tortures he had inflicted during his time were legendary. Death would be preferable to those tender mercies. At least death came quickly. “Third floor…end of the hall…”

Angel nodded, bowing his head in acceptance. He released the youngster, turning his back on him. For the briefest of moments, the fledgling had hope that he would be allowed to live for giving the information.

That moment ended quickly enough.

“Finish that, would you Wes?” Angel smirked, tapping Spike on the shoulder to get his attention. The sound of a crossbow bolt sounded in the room as the informer turned to nothing more than dust. Spike’s own opponent followed a mere second later. Flying up the stairs with inhuman speed, the two reached the third floor in less than a minute, their ears alert for any sign of movement or life.

“Where to, mate?” Spike whispered.

“This way…” The older vampire murmured, his eyes spotting a door at the very end of the hall. Even at this distance he could see the word “nursery” scrawled on the yellowish wood in a dark color. The sound of the twins’ beating hearts was louder here, a third heartbeat also apparent. Taking the length of the hallway in a few long strides, the two vampires pushed open the door hard enough to cause the wood to creak.

“Aaaghhh!” The nursemaid screamed, jumping from the chair she had set between the two cribs. She backed up, her eyes wide with terror, until her
backside collided with the hardness of the wall. Her screams echoed through the room, causing the vampires to put their hands to their ears in pain. The twins quickly joined in, disturbed from their recently gained slumber by the sound of the woman’s shrieking.

“Shut up you stupid bint before I rip your bloody head off!” Spike roared, taking a step towards the frightened woman. Her screams ceased with the
threat and the two slowly lowered their hands.

“Alex…David…” Angel whispered, his face shifting back to his normal, human features. He picked up the nearest baby, cradling it to his body. The baby’s screams soon quieted, the mere presence of his father a comfort. Tears glistened in the corners of the dark haired vampire’s eyes.

“I see Dru dressed them…” Spike smirked, gently lifting Alex. He rolled his eyes at the sight of the little black dressing gowns they were wearing.
“Dressing my son in a bloody…dress!” The second baby’s tears ceased quickly as well.

The nursemaid watched quietly from the corner of the room, waiting until they were so wrapped up in their children that they had forgotten about her entirely. With hesitant steps she made her way to the door, breaking into a run once she hit the hallway. There had to be a back door she could slip out of – a place where she wouldn’t be noticed. It wasn’t until the noise in the rest of the house died down entirely that they finally broke out of the reunion.

“We should call Willow. I’m sure she’s worried.” He dialed out on his cell phone, the conversation brief and to the point – Willow would be there in
minutes. Their red haired mate had, in fact, only stayed at home at their express urging. Neither one had wanted her to be around if anything had
happened to the boys.

Spike nodded. He looked around the room one last time, making sure they were leaving nothing important behind, before following his Sire back into the halls. Reuniting the tiny bundles in their arms with the rest of their family was the most important thing, after all.
 

Part: 10

The house was quiet as Angel and Spike made their way back to the first floor. Small piles of dust littered the floor at irregular intervals, sites of last battles for the fledglings of the home. Angel had no doubt in his mind that a majority of the vampires that had lived in the house had only been a week old – if that. That was Dru’s normal mode of operation, of course – breeze into a city, create followers, and then wreak havoc.

Not always in that order, either.

‘Never again after tonight…’ The dark haired vampire reiterated to himself. It was like a mantra, something to bolster the slim resolve he had to
exterminate his only female Childe. ‘Maybe Wills could just curse her…’ He shook his head, pressing David closer to him in an unconscious gesture of
protection. ‘She doesn’t deserve it… She went too far… Too far.’

Next to him Spike’s own thoughts were focused solely on the bundle in his arms. ‘Poor little bloke.’ He smirked to himself. ‘Not even a month old and
already he’s been caught up in this twisted family’s dark side… Bah. I’ve turned into such a poof.’

“Angel! Spike!” Gunn called, spotting them on the landing as they made their way to the first floor. He looked around the room, anxious to get away from the death and destruction that surrounded them.  “You got the kids? They okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine.” Spike called back. He winced as Alex began crying, the sound filling the quietness of the first floor entranceway. Laying the
infant against his shoulder, the blond patted his tiny back gently, his soft ‘shhh’ing noises, and the proximity to his father, slowly lulling Alex to
sleep.

“Did anyone call Willow?” Wesley spoke up, his voice cracking.

Angel looked at the former Watcher, noticing how he leaned against one of the larger chairs. Lines of pain were drawn deep in the man’s face and Angel could smell fresh blood in the air. “Wes, are you hurt?”

“Just…a little scratch…” The dark haired human lifted the hem of his shirt, showing off a ragged gash across his left side. Blood stained the
surrounding skin and cloth, the edges of the wound already started to become dark as the blood dried.

“Bloody hell, Wussy.” Spike grinned, trying to mask his own worry at the sight. “We can’t take you anywhere.”  He shook his head, playing into the
good-natured teasing. “As soon as Red gets here, Gunn can drive you to the emergency room. They should still have your room ready from the last time.”

Wesley rolled his eyes, sinking onto the arm of the chair. He would never hear the end of this, as usual. But he was alive and healthy – more than
could be said for most that stayed in his line of work for too long.

Willow arrived quickly, flying into the room like a red whirlwind. In less time than it took Angel or Spike to blink she had gathered both twins,
cradling one in one arm and the other in the second. Her face was covered with salty tears, dripping from her chin and onto her shirt. Less subdued
than her companion, Cordelia entered a moment later, carrying the twins’ car seats. “Sorry it took me a minute. Some overweight nurse-looking thing came running from the back yard when I was walking up from the street. She should still be lying on the sidewalk taking a ‘nap’ if anyone needs her.”

The adults in the room laughed.

“Delia, I’m taking Wesley to the ER. Be home as soon as I can get him patched up.” Gunn grinned, standing to kiss his girlfriend before helping
Wesley stand up. She watched him play human crutch to the ex-watcher until they were out of sight. Her heart lifted as she turned back to the scene before her, the happy family reunion they had all hoped for. The reunion was cut short only by the next words out of Angel’s mouth.

“Dru’s close.”

She felt him a block before her home and knew right away that it was over. Her Daddy had come to take the crying babies away and naughty Spike had helped as well. A soft smile creased her lips and she rubbed anxiously at the amulet in the deep pocket of her dress. She made her way slowly towards the building, careful to stay out of view and on the opposite side of the street.

Maybe it was better this way.

Many thoughts had run through her addled brain on the way to retrieve the amulet. Not the least of which was that the babies had made too much noise. It was hard to hear the music of the stars with so much crying and wailing. The music of the night would be forever covered by that racket if she allowed the children to remain.

“No…no…no…no…no…” She whispered to herself, coming out into view for the first time. To hell with the stars. The babies were the important thing.
They would be hers forever. And her Daddy and Spikey would come back to her. They wouldn’t stay with the witch long if they didn’t have her children.

“They’ll kill you…”

Drusilla whirled, her true face coming into view. She growled, the sound loud on the quiet street side. “Who are you?”

“Friend of Lilah’s.” Lindsey smirked. “We work together. Here.” He held out a business card to her, the embossed metallic Wolfram and Hart logo shining under the streetlight. “She sent me to get the Amulet of Arathin from you.” He stepped closer to her, still proffering the card. An innocent-looking smile of pure helpfulness on his face belied the evil intent screaming in his heart. “I really can’t believe Lilah didn’t give you more help, though. I mean…if she had, maybe Angel and that blond moron wouldn’t have been able to find you… I mean, with all of the resources of Wolfram and Hart at her disposal – she couldn’t even find you a safe haven?” His tone was consoling, apologetic – the type of thing he knew she would want to hear.

Taking the card, the vampire regarded it carefully. Something wasn’t right. The stars were quiet about this man. If he was truly a friend of her current employer there was no way to know for sure.

But did it matter?

What he said made perfect sense to her. If the lawyer woman had truly wanted to help her she would have made it so that Daddy and Spike couldn’t find her – couldn’t take away the babies. “True, my sweet.” She purred, stepping closer to Lindsey. She could hear the lawyer’s heart double with fear. “Do not fret. I won’t be hurting you…tonight.” Lifting his hand, she fished the trinket out of her pocket, placing it firmly in his palm. “You will help me one day, little lawyer man.”

Lindsey watched as the vampire backed away from him, the same thoughtful smile never leaving her face. Time itself seemed to slow as he watched her leave, the simple swaying of her hips a hypnotic device. Finally, when she was no longer in sight, he blinked, time resuming its natural flow.

“Wow.” The dark haired man grinned, tossing the Amulet up and catching it. Pure joy flitted across his features. Wouldn’t Lilah be so surprised when he presented the Amulet to the senior partners?

“She’s not even in town anymore…”

Willow looked up from her book, the news from her mate a complete surprise. “Dru’s gone?” The doubt coloring her words was brought upon more by hope than anything. Angel and Spike had taken turns watching over the house, hoping to catch her returning. But everything had been quiet for more than a week. The vampiress had apparently never made it any closer than when Angel had originally felt her that first night. In a final act of desperation Angel had left to speak with contacts around the city, including a trip to Caritas, hoping to gain information.

“Yeah. All my contacts say they haven’t heard from her since that night. Lorne couldn’t read anything regarding her.” He shrugged, pulling the red
head to her feet and giving her a warm hug. This wasn’t the way he would have preferred things to happen. Dealing with Dru once and for all would
have been painful, but was also something that would have to happen one day – one way or another.

Spike listened from the doorway, his head bowed with his own sadness. The death of Drusilla would have been comparable to losing a part of himself – but the thought that she was still on the loose - no doubt up to no good - was just as saddening. If she would just let things go…leave them alone, she could live out the rest of her existence in peace.

But that would never happen.

“Don’t worry, pet.” The blond murmured, making his way to where his mates still shared a loving embrace. “She won’t get her hands on them again. I’ll stake my bloody life on it.”

Willow smiled at the choice of words – a vampire ‘staking’ his life on anything. “I know, Spike.” Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the
new security enhancements that had been made. Steel shutters protected the windows, able to be lifted if desired by the owners of the apartment. The front door had been reinforced and the flimsy locks on each of the inner doors had been replaced with much larger, sturdier pieces of metalwork. She held her arm out to Spike, pulling him into the embrace she shared with her dark haired mate.

“No matter what,” Angel smiled at the two of them. “Everything will be okay. The twins will have a normal life…”

”Well…as normal as any of us ever had.” Spike snorted.

The red head nodded, kissing her two lovers on the cheeks and pulling away. Through the baby monitor she could hear first one, then the second, twin begin to cry. She lifted her head, knowing that her men were right. The twins would be fine. Mina would be fine. They all would be fine.

It was time to get back to being a mother.

*~End~*

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